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NHL Draft - ProspectsDiscuss hockey prospects from all over the world and the NHL Draft.

Said before the start of the season that I could see Pulock shooting up the draft rankings. I see him being a much more offensive defenceman capable of putting up more points then Seth Jones at the NHL level.

Ryan Pulock right now is the best D-man playing in the Dub. Better than Seth Jones, better than Ryan Murray, better than Griffin Rienhart and better than Morgan Rielly. So what exactly is stopping him from being taken as the first D in the draft? Because Seth Jones had more hype during the summer?

EDIT: I've only seen Ristolainen maybe one game and I never paid any attention to him so I can't say if he's a better prospect than Pulock.

Ryan Pulock right now is the best D-man playing in the Dub. Better than Seth Jones, better than Ryan Murray, better than Griffin Rienhart and better than Morgan Rielly. So what exactly is stopping him from being taken as the first D in the draft? Because Seth Jones had more hype during the summer?

Yeah, no.

Let me elaborate, Pulock is a phenomenal player, he's got wheels, skill and a great slapper, but he's not dominant. He plays on the Wheat Kings, an offensive juggernaut ( yes he's a huge part of that ) I'd like him to get a bit angry. He puts up points, he plays a decent D game, but he's not as complete as Jones, Murray or Reinhart and Rielly is a better skater and passer. However I would take him ahead of all dmen in the dub except Jones and Murray.

I can't see an offensive dman like Pulock taken ahead of a more "complete" dman, you see it all the time at drafts, EJ was taken 1st because he was thought to be a great 2-way force, Murray ahead of Offensive dmen like Rielly and Dumba. There are not many pure offensive guys taken ahead of a two way guy, because there is that risk that they don't translate.

Even watching Brandon highlights I've seen Pulock get burned in the defensive zone at least 3 times and each time he didn't know what to do to get the puck back. Not saying he's bad or anything (drafted him in my 11, 12, 13 draft prospect pool)

but I would absolutely take Jones over Pulock. The brand of two way play and size that he brings to the table is just too good to pass up. There's a defenseman or two like Pulock every draft (Fowler, Murphy, Rielly, Pouilot). The closest thing we've had to Jones is maybe Dougie Hamilton.

Even watching Brandon highlights I've seen Pulock get burned in the defensive zone at least 3 times and each time he didn't know what to do to get the puck back. Not saying he's bad or anything (drafted him in my 11, 12, 13 draft prospect pool)

but I would absolutely take Jones over Pulock. The brand of two way play and size that he brings to the table is just too good to pass up. There's a defenseman or two like Pulock every draft (Fowler, Murphy, Rielly, Pouilot). The closest thing we've had to Jones is maybe Dougie Hamilton.

He plays on the Wheat Kings, an offensive juggernaut ( yes he's a huge part of that )

WK's are not an offensive juggernaut, just lost 6 of the top 7 forwards. They've scored some goals to start the season, at the expense of defensive solidity. But after Bertaggia and Buonassisi, there's not much veteran offensive ability. I wish there was, I fondly remember the days of Schenn, Glennie, Calvert, Clark, Lewadniuk, Fehr, Green, or even the 04/05 team that had those phenomenal top 2 lines.

If you look at drafts over the last 15 - 20 years, players like Jones almost always get drafted ahead of players like Pulock. Bigger, stronger d-men who can play on the top pairing are in very high demand.

Some examples off the top of my head: Gudbranson ahead of Fowler and Gormley, Hedman, Larson, Reinhart ahead of Rielly.

I think Pulock will be fighting for the 5th to 7th spot behing Jones, McKinnon, Barkov and Monahan.

Larsson is more a Murray or Gormley type (well the other way around TBH, and I'll add Brodin to that list). Larsson doesn't have the kind of size or physicality Jones has. Not even close.

Larsson is much more physical then Dougie and is 6ft 3in so he's not some tiny guy either. Larsson is also a smart player just like Jones, Hamilton isn't dumb but he plays the game with his skills, not really his "head".

Brandon played Med Hat tonight and Pulock outscored Shinkaruk 2g and 1a to zero. Pulock now has 7g and 8a in 10 games, top scoring d-man in the WHL, and 8th in overall scoring! He's +11 as well, tied for third in the league. Heck of a start to the season for him.